Funds doubt in college

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Malda, Feb. 16: The governing body of Malda College has convened a meeting on February 18 to discuss allegations of misappropriation of development funds of Rs 5 lakh after the newly-formed Trinamul Congress Chattra Parishad union brought the charges against the former teacher in-charge.

The TMCP alleged that although the records show Rs 3.8 lakh was used to re-excavate a 20-bigha pond on the campus and Rs 40,000 was spent on saplings, no work was done. A digital projector worth Rs 80,000 was missing. Soumen Adhikary, general secretary of the union, said: In 2013, Rs 3.8 lakh was withdrawn to re-excavate the pond and Rs 40,000 was used to buy saplings. We have found no evidence of the pond being re-excavated or saplings planted. A US-made projector bought for Rs 80,000 is missing. All this happened when Provash Chowdhury, who teaches political science, was teacher-in-charge.

The TMCP wrested the union from the SFI uncontested in all 24 seats.

Asim Sarkar, who took over as the teacher in-charge in September, said: We have found no files on the pond and the sapling projects. There is no register that was maintained on the use of the projector.

Debopriya Saha, government nominee to the governing body, said: We have summoned the former teacher in-charge to the meeting. If he does not give satisfactory answer, we will file an FIR against him and anyone else we suspect to be involved in the scam.

Chowdhury said all rules had been followed. I cannot help if the saplings did not survive. I was the in-charge from February 1, 2013 for seven months. The projector was bought before that.